This project will address prescott program category b priorities for northern sea otters in alaska and washington state for oil spill response

This Project Grant award from the Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 9 Headquarters, under the Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance (CFDA 15.683) program, provides $199,890 to Wildlife Research International, Inc. (dba Wildlife Research) from June 30, 2023 to May 31, 2026. The project will address Prescott Program Category B priorities for northern sea otters in Alaska and Washington by implementing and coordinating oiled sea otter contingency planning, training, and response for the oil industry, federal, and state trustees. Key activities include: managing the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company's oiled sea otter rehabilitation facility in Port Valdez, Alaska; providing annual first responder training for over 200 pre-trained, OSHA-certified personnel; and assisting with contingency planning, training, and response in Washington state. The project aims to coordinate a consistent and comprehensive response network for northern sea otters impacted by oil spills across coastal Alaska and Washington.

The goal is to implement and coordinate oiled sea otter contingency planning, training, and response for the oil industry and federal and state trustees. Wildlife research international (hereafter referred to as IWR) is a non-governmental organization pre-authorized to capture, transport, clean, rehabilitate, release (rehabilitated animals), and collect (salvage) dead northern sea otters of any age class and both sexes during petroleum (e.g., crude oil, fuel oil) spill events under the U.S. Fish and wildlife service letter of agreement MA85193B. Since 1994, IWR has been the guaranteed responder for oiled sea otters in prince william sound, alaska, in coordination with alyeska pipeline service company, a consortium of oil companies that own and operate the trans-alaska pipeline system. In addition to annual training, IWR is on 24-hour, seven-days-a-week standby so that alyeska pipeline service company can meet its legal requirement to have the oiled sea otter rehabilitation facility in port valdez functional and fully staffed in 72 hours. IWR will manage alyeska s oiled sea otter rehabilitation facility in port valdez, which is currently the most advanced response capability for northern sea otters. During our 2020 prescott award, we expanded contingency planning, training, and 24-hour, seven-days-a-week response in southeast alaska by contracting with the southeast alaska petroleum response organization (seapro), including responder training sessions in ketchikan, juneau, and sitka. The IWR training program qualifies responders for an 8-hour first responder operations training certificate in compliance with the federal occupational safety and health administration (OSHA) hazardous waste and emergency response (hazwoper) requirements for the care of oiled sea otters in the rehabilitation facility. A critical factor in implementing a rapid response to an oil spill involving sea otters is to have a roster of pre-trained, OSHA-certified responders, and IWR has a roster of over 200 trained responders. An essential part of the IWR s training program for responders in the rehabilitation facility and capture and transport crews is our open-access website (WWW.wildliferesearch.COM), which provides critical training information for people interested in participating in an oil spill response involving sea otters. With a new, three-year prescott award, IWR will offer annual, one-day training courses for responders working in the oiled sea otter rehabilitation facility in port valdez, alaska, and the future facility in ketchikan, alaska. One-day courses will also be offered annually in the capture and transport of oiled sea otters in homer, cordova, kodiak, and ketchikan, alaska, and washington state. In addition, IWR will participate in wildlife taskforce exercises and wildlife stabilization demonstration exercises in alaska. As part of the proposed project s goals, IWR will assist the oil industry and federal and state trustees in washington state with contingency planning, training, and response. If a spill threatens sea otters, IWR will manage the response under our existing USFWS permit. In addition, IWR is planning oiled sea otter capture and transport training in the olympic peninsula, which will include members of local native communities. This project aims to coordinate oiled sea otter contingency planning, training, and response throughout coastal alaska and washington state to provide a consistent and comprehensive response network for northern sea otters.